From a Musket to a Cannon

Jiang Donghua let out a long breath, and his tightly wound nerves finally relaxed.

He looked at his four teammates and said solemnly,

"Thank you."

Ouyang Xue gently shook her head.

"We each got what we needed."

Zhao Wuchen put away his throwing knives and smiled.

"Let's go. Time to register."

The five of them wasted no more time and quickly headed for the stairs.

The other students along the way stepped aside, their eyes filled with awe. To snatch food from the jaws of a tiger from a Five-star Dou Master and Chixiao City, these five were clearly not to be trifled with!

At the entrance of the Scripture Depository, Elder Duan was lounging lazily in a rattan chair, holding an ancient book.

When he saw Jiang Donghua and the others emerge, he raised his eyelids slightly.

"How were the gains?"

Jiang Donghua respectfully took out the Sky-Burning jade slip.

"One Mysterious-grade Mid-tier cultivation method."

Elder Duan took the jade slip and lightly brushed its surface with his fingertip. A red light immediately flashed from it before it returned to normal.

"Registered. The cultivation method is yours now."

Shi Lie and the others also registered their gains one after another.

Before leaving, Jiang Donghua looked back at the towering Scripture Depository, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

With the Sky-Burning Incantation, his idle cultivation efficiency could finally soar!

On the top floor of the Scripture Depository, the three guardians sat around a jade table.

Elder Duan brewed tea at an unhurried pace. Amid the curling steam, his gaze was especially clear.

"The Fire attribute on that kid isn't simple."

"Indeed."

The old man resting with his eyes closed nodded slightly.

"Fierce but not violent. It's an excellent flame seed for alchemy."

The last guardian, who had remained silent all along, suddenly spoke.

"There's a trace of gentle Wood attribute within that Fire attribute. He's most likely cut out to be an alchemist."

Elder Duan smiled and pushed the teacups before the two men.

Crazy Yan really struck gold this time."

"However..."

The old man with his eyes closed lifted his teacup and said meaningfully,

"A tree that stands out in the forest will be toppled by the wind."

Elder Duan was unconcerned.

"That depends on what kind of wind it is."

The three exchanged smiles and said no more.

As the fragrance of tea drifted through the air, storms began to gather outside the pavilion.

All five of them kept looking around cautiously as they left the Scripture Depository.

Only then did Jiang Donghua suddenly notice that every one of the other four had a Storage Ring on their hand.

So he was the poorest one after all!

Compared to him, a monk who had no clue what was going on, these guys were far more familiar with the facilities of Jia Nan Academy's Outer Academy.

Lin Xiuyuan said calmly,

"It isn't safe to carry things in our hands. How about we go to the cultivation rooms together?"

The others naturally nodded.

Jiang Donghua followed Lin Xiuyuan and the others across the broad stone paths of the Outer Academy. At first, he felt nothing, but when he spotted the outline of the cultivation rooms in the distance, his steps abruptly halted and his mouth fell open.

"Th-this thing is bigger than all of Black Iron City, isn't it?!"

His eyes widened as he stared at the mountain-like complex. Towering spires, layer upon layer of cultivation rooms, even several special cultivation grounds floating in midair—faint energy barriers surrounded them, emanating fluctuations that made his heart tremble.

Lin Xiuyuan glanced at him, the corner of his mouth curling upward.

"What, never seen the world before?"

Jiang Donghua swallowed.

"Want to spar again?"

Lin Xiuyuan's expression changed as he recalled how Jiang Donghua's Fire attribute countered his Wood attribute.

He could only turn his head away and pretend he had not heard.

The others could not help but laugh.

Just then, a booming voice came from the entrance to the cultivation rooms.

"Yellow-grade cultivation rooms, five hundred gold coins per use! Mysterious-grade cultivation rooms, three thousand gold coins per use!"

"New students get one free trial. You old hands still dare pretend to be freshmen before me?"

"Believe it or not, I'll give you two slaps?!"

Everyone turned to look, only to see a white-haired old man with a fierce, fleshy face standing at the entrance with his hands on his hips. His tiger-like eyes were wide, and he gripped a thick wooden club in one hand, looking every bit like a bandit chief.

"Oh no, it's Iron-Faced Yama, Elder Zhao!"

A tall, skinny man in the crowd turned pale and whispered,

"Run!"

Those people did not hesitate for a second before turning and fleeing.

The others reacted just as quickly. Their Battle Qi Gauze activated in an instant, colorful energy shields flashing to life as they shot away like rabbits. Only Jiang Donghua and the others remained where they were, utterly bewildered.

But these Senior Brothers were clearly extremely warmhearted.

"Why are you idiots just standing there? If you get caught, the fine on your card won't just be a few thousand gold coins!"

"Do you really think Elder Zhao has a bad memory?!"

Jiang Donghua was being dragged along at full speed when a furious shout suddenly rang out behind them.

"Stop!"

Elder Zhao's figure flashed ahead like a ghost. His ebony staff slammed down across their path with a thud, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The Senior Brothers immediately stopped, plastering fawning smiles across their faces.

"Elder Zhao, you see, we were just..."

"Shut up!"

Elder Zhao snorted coldly, but his gaze fell upon Jiang Donghua and the others.

"Kid, haven't seen you before?"

Jiang Donghua quickly nodded and took out the academy jade token he had just received from his robes.

Zhao Wuchen hurriedly spoke up.

"The five of us really are freshmen!"

After carefully checking, Elder Zhao's expression eased slightly as he muttered,

"At least there are some honest ones."

As he spoke, he pulled five jade tokens glowing faintly yellow from his sleeve and casually tossed them to Jiang Donghua and the others.

"Yellow-grade cultivation rooms. One free trial. Remember the rules."

Elder Zhao raised three fingers.

"First, do not damage the formations inside. Second, do not remain past your allotted time. Third..."

He narrowed his eyes and swept his gaze toward those wearing Battle Qi Gauze.

"Do not bring unrelated people in to freeload on cultivation!"

The young men immediately gave sheepish laughs and backed away two steps.

Holding the warm jade token, Jiang Donghua followed Elder Zhao to a stone chamber.

As the jade token was inserted into the groove in the stone door, the heavy door slowly opened, and a wave of pure natural energy rushed toward him.

"Go in. You'll be automatically teleported out after three hours."

Jiang Donghua stepped into the cultivation room, and the stone door silently closed behind him.

Looking around, he saw dense runes flowing across the walls with a faint golden glow, while the Spirit Gathering Array at the center of the floor slowly revolved.

He cautiously sent a thread of Battle Qi at the wall. With a hum, the attack vanished like a stone sinking into the sea, leaving not even the slightest mark.

"This defense is more than enough for peaceful cultivation. Even Old Yan probably couldn't blast apart this cultivation room."

His eyes lit up. Jiang Donghua sat cross-legged in the center of the cultivation room, red flames swirling around him.

The flames sometimes blossomed into lotus flowers, sometimes flowed through his meridians like water, casting the entire room into alternating light and shadow.

The Sky-Burning Incantation, this Mysterious-grade Mid-tier cultivation method, was even more overbearing than he had imagined!

"Sure enough, the gap between Yellow-grade and Mysterious-grade is like heaven and earth."

He slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, feeling the circulation speed of the Battle Qi within his body.

If the Battle Qi he had cultivated with the Crimson Flame Art had been a stream, then the Battle Qi within him now had become a roaring river, surging through his meridians.

Jiang Donghua stared at the system screen floating before him, his brows slightly furrowed.

[Host: Jiang Donghua]

[Realm: Two-star Dou Master (156/2000)]

[Main Cultivation Method: Sky-Burning Incantation (Mysterious-grade Mid-tier)]

[Idle Gain]

Clone 1: 5 points/hour

Clone 2: 5 points/hour

[Current Total Gain: 10 points/hour]